Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 344

“Monster subjugation complete, Commander.”

“Good.”

Harman watched the sun sink below the horizon. It was a fiery red, painting the sky with streaks of orange and purple. He nodded at his adjutant’s report, but his eyes stayed on the sunset. The warm light faded as he finally turned to look northeast, towards Novien.

Novien, the place where he should have been, was very far away.

Line said, “It wasn’t really something that needed the Commander to come in person. The Gaia Kingdom could have solved it on its own, so why…” His voice was a little grumpy.

Line’s words were correct.

Beyond the borders of the Empire, to its south, in the southernmost part of the Gaia Kingdom, next to the southern mountains, there was a rare, strong Chimera monster.

It was dangerous, but the Gaia Kingdom could have sent one superhuman or four or five top knights to handle it. It wasn’t a big problem that needed Harman, the Holy Knights Commander, to come.

Line asked, “Commander, if you don’t mind me asking… some people are saying… is it true the Pope is… you know… maybe not so happy with you?”

“Enough. That is disrespectful to His Holiness,” Harman replied.

“Yes,” Line said, but you could tell he was still unhappy. The Holy Knights were proud to be the strongest knights in the world, representing God. But now, they were being sent to unimportant, faraway places. It was easy to see why Line was unhappy.

However, Harman’s thoughts were a little different.

“It’s strange that we, who should be fighting God’s enemies, have only been guarding Novien and dealing with monsters. I think this is what we were meant to do. The Pope must think so too.”

“Commander…” Line said, looking pitiful.

Harman chuckled. He wasn’t a fool.

He knew the new Pope was trying to keep him in check, but it wasn’t too bad.

‘The Order needs a new symbol. If the Pope can shine just by me moving away for a while, I can handle it.’

To fully share the will of the nine gods, the Order needed to be united. And unlike the old Pope, who only cared about wealth and glory, Pope Austin was sincere and worth believing in.

That’s what Harman thought.

But some things bothered him.

“What’s the news about the Saintess?” he asked.

“Excuse me? I told you a little while ago…” Line replied.

“Nothing has changed?”

“No, that’s right. But why are you so worried about it?”

“Hmm? Is it strange?”

“No, it’s not. It’s just that you seem very concerned about the Saintess. You weren’t interested in the Order’s politics before, were you?”

“Politics… Is that what you think?” Harman asked, frowning.

Line realized his mistake. He had called something the Order approved as official politics.

His face turned pale, and he waved his hands. “Ah, no, it’s not that I don’t trust the Order. I just don’t understand the situation… But I absolutely trust the Order!”

Harman watched Line deny it and realized how he seemed to others.

“It’s alright,” Harman said.

“Yes?”

“What’s wrong with speaking your mind? It’s only a problem if you twist and spread the will of God. That goes for both the Order and individuals.”

Line was surprised, then hesitated. “Even if my thoughts go against the Order’s will?”

“Yes,” Harman confirmed.

Line looked blank. This was awkward.

“You weren’t… strict about that?”

Harman chuckled. The old Pope had been wary of him, so his adjutant was changed every six months because Harman was supposedly too rigid and picky.

Line had been his adjutant for eight months. So much had happened that it was hard to know Harman’s personality.

‘I don’t plan to break the Order’s rules.’

He laughed at the old Pope’s pettiness. The fraud got what he deserved. That must have been the gods’ will.

“Be strict when teaching the doctrine. The Order is meant to share and show the teachings, not twist them. If the criticism is reasonable and not disrespectful talk against God, it should be accepted.”

Harman put his fist on the nine circles on his armor, as if swearing an oath.

The image he had built over time couldn’t be changed with just words, so he swore to God.

Line looked relieved. “Then you won’t cut off my head or limbs… right?”

Harman almost stumbled. The rumors were worse than he thought.

“There was such a rumor?”

“That’s… Ha, haha. No, I thought it was just a rumor! Really!”

Harman laughed awkwardly at Line’s unnatural reaction.

‘I have to change it little by little.’

But he was more interested in what Line had said earlier. “Alright. By the way, is that how people usually think about the Saintess being called a heretic?”

He had been focusing on training and hadn’t talked to others, which was why he seemed so fierce.

Harman waited for Line’s answer, deciding again to change.

“Yes. To be honest, it was sudden and strange. The Saintess helped Pope Austin show that the old Pope was fake, right? But now, they say she’s fake, so it’s confusing.”

“So, you’re saying the Pope pushed out the Saintess to get more power? And that’s why you call it politics?”

Line looked stiff again. He seemed unsure if he should answer, but he nodded bravely. “Yes. It’s easier to understand if you think that way.”

“Is that what most people think?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I see. So that’s how it is,” Harman sighed.

He couldn’t believe Pope Austin would do that.

It didn’t make sense. ‘Can power change someone so quickly?’

He wanted to trust the Pope, but he was disturbed. The solution was always the same.

Harmon knelt on the cold earth. “Tonight, prayer and training,” he murmured to himself.

“I dedicate this to the nine gods who bring balance to the world.”

The night was moonlit, casting long shadows across the field.

Kneeling on the bare earth, without even a simple altar or statues, Harmon felt the divine power rising within him, sensing that the gods had answered his prayer.

His heart felt clean, the worries that had been clouding his mind seemed to drift away like smoke.

Thus, it was time to cleanse his body.

He drew his sword.

The beloved sword, Purgatio, lightly drawn, revealed its pure white blade with a clear sound.

Purgatio was special to him. It was not as powerful as Poena, the holy sword kept safe by the Order, but this beloved sword was also a holy relic blessed by 100 high priests. As the sword, filled with divine power, glowed softly in the moonlight, it seemed to bring peace to his heart.

Tap.

A light step forward.

The sword moved gracefully with his step.

Purgatio, bathed in moonlight, reflected the light and showed off its divine power, adorning the dark field with a beautiful spectacle of light. His sword movements were like a dance, a special style of the Holy Knights made to honor the nine gods.

His mind was exceptionally clear.

The sword moved exactly as he wanted. The light from the blade made him feel free and strong.

A sword dance that sang of the joy gained within the will of God.

As the sword dance reached its peak, his complicated mind felt calmer.

As always, the training following prayer did not betray his expectations.

However.

‘The Saintess……’

As the adjutant Line had said, the strange behavior of the Order came to mind, and soon began to trouble his mind again. Worry gnawed at him.

The Order, after decades of corruption, had found its way back to the right path.

He thought that everything would eventually follow the will of God, the natural order, and that his heart would be rewarded.

He believed that the combination of a priest who had lived a life of integrity and a true Saintess would be more than enough to make it possible.

But again, such behavior.

‘Your Holiness, Austin. Has that upright faith been ruined by wanting things for himself?’

If that were really the case, what should he do?

– The Holy Knights cannot interfere in the politics of the Order.

He remembered the Order’s law. It was a law he had always followed, and it felt heavy in his mind now.

Should he stay quiet, like he did when the old Pope and his followers caused trouble in the Order?

The faithful voice that had pleaded with him when she asked for his help kept coming to mind.

– I have a request to make of the Commander of the Holy Knights in my capacity as Cardinal.

– Commander, I beg you……

At that time, the Saintess clearly had an upright heart toward God.

Pope Austin, whom he had watched for a long time, and the Saintess, who had instilled conviction in his heart in an instant.

He thought about both of them at the same time. This made his once-peaceful heart troubled again.

An unpleasant sound began to mix into the beautiful sword dance. A cold feeling came from everywhere his sword moved.

If the sword dance until just now was meant to express peace.

Now, his sword dance was different. It was like a punishment for those who went against God. His sword on the dark field was like a hammer ready to strike.

Fwoosh.

As the tip of the extending sword cut through space, everything that had been in that straight line was split in half.

The tree in the forest, at least 100 meters away, beyond the reach of his sword, could not maintain its shape either.

It could be said to be the most powerful fighting style, made to punish anyone against God’s will.

And what supported that essence was the divine power bestowed upon him by God. God’s power and his own strength worked together in his body. This power made him strong and let him move his sword again and again.

At the same time.

Crack crack crack.

Rumble.

Everything his sword faced and touched began to lose its shape and crumble. Trees fell, the ground broke.

It was a miracle, so amazing it was hard to believe it came from just one sword.

But Harmon, who was causing all this destruction, did not want to stop. Everything around him was being destroyed. But Harmon kept dancing with his sword. He wanted to keep going until all his anger was gone.

Until someone interfered.

– Sir Harmon! Stop!

A voice was heard in the distance.

A high, clear voice that sounded familiar calmed his anger.

He remembered who spoke.

“The Saintess?”

The sword stopped instantly.

And a black masked man suddenly appeared dozens of meters away from him. His broken sword and bleeding mouth showed he is brave and strong.

“Haa, how at this distance……. What an absurd power…….”

The masked man, whose mouth was bleeding as if he had been hit by the aftermath of the sword strike, held a broken sword in his hand.

Harmon looked closely at the masked man. He could see something special about him, even from far away.

The unique ability to recover from injuries in an instant was quite impressive.

However.

“He’s strong for someone so young, but…”

Clearly, it was not the owner of the high voice he had heard a moment ago.

“……He’s not good enough to hide from me and get close to me.”

Was he imagining things?

Harmon glared at the masked man with a slight anger.

– Please wait a moment!

Then, with that voice again, the air behind the masked man seemed to bend and shimmer. A holy light appeared.

Harmon knew this feeling. It was a barrier made of holy magic.

It seemed that the masked man was injured while trying to protect the barrier from his sword strike.

He felt this was true.

And then, a woman stepped out from behind the barrier. Harmon knew he was right.

“I’m sorry to meet you like this, Commander Harmon.”

The Saintess.

Harmon was even more surprised to see her.